In Zambia, The Talk Is About Ghana In September

A Visitor’s Observation

The banner was located near the score board under one of the floodlights and it read “Ghana Is No More”. About ten minutes into the game Zambia scored a goal and the banner changed to “In Kumasi 1-0 As Usual”. Zambia won that game 3-1, cruising to a comfortable win, on the way playing some delightful football with the whole nation behind the national team.

The day was Sunday July 14, 2013, the venue was the Nkana Sports Stadium in Kitwe, in the Copper-belt region of Zambia and the occasion was a quarter finals football match between Zambia and Mozambique. Zambia was, for the first time, hosting the COSAFA (Confederation of South Africa Football Associations) Cup from July 6th – July 20th 2013. The games were being played in Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe. It was like the WAFU competition of yesteryears for the West African region. 13 nations from the Southern African region were competing in the COSAFA Cup, and Zambia was using the competition also as a preparation for the match that really mattered to them – the September 6th 2013, clash with the Black stars of Ghana.

I was visiting Zambia for my mother-in-law’s memorial and unveiling of her tombstone, a very solemn and important ritual for the people of the Southern African region. The purpose of my visit therefore had nothing to do with football. I was not fooled for long, though. When I arrived in Lusaka, my sister-in-law took me and my immediate family – my wife, daughter and two young boys – to a tourists’ market to look for some local souvenirs. The Zambia national team’s jerseys were on full display in all the bright colors and selling like hot cakes– national pride was at stake and Zambians need little prodding to talk about their national team – Chipoloplo, the (Copper) Bullets. Knowing that I was Ghanaian made their day. They could not wait to remind me of the last two meetings between the national football teams of Ghana and Zambia. Of course Zambia won both matches and one could sense their confidence as a result.

I found the Zambians to be a very confident bunch when it came to their football. That aside, the general mood in the country was that of resurgence.

With the Copper mines once thought to be “dead” and the general gloomy economic situation that resulted from that, in the 1990s, giving way to a re-bound in mining activities; a political class ready to move the country forward mainly with infrastructural developments and anti-corruption initiatives, the country is seriously finding its way back. This general optimistic mood, coupled with their recent successes against the Ghana Black Stars on the football field, had given the Zambian a high level/sense of confidence, making them fancy their chances in Kumasi on the 6th of September.

The bravado on display however betrayed a fear of what awaits them in Kumasi. Zambians in general have a lot of respect for Ghanaians. This respect, on and off the football field, is rooted in the history of positive interaction between the two countries. Talk to any Zambian and he/she is likely to mention Ghanaian teachers/lecturers, doctors, businessmen and women, etc. they have come in contact with. There is still a very large and prosperous Ghanaian community in Zambia. In fact, I contacted some on my trip and heard about others. One of the country’s main teacher training colleges is named for Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Dr. Kenneth Kaunda has been, and is still, a good friend of our country.

So when Zambians were “taunting” us during the Zambia-Mozambique match – letting us know what the score would be in Kumasi, they did it with respect because they knew Ghana had a better football record on the continent than Zambia. They also know that, even now, we have better-known players. Zambians however play the underdog role very well. They could be very dangerous when they felt slighted or underestimated. I was told on several occasions that Zambians did not take it kindly last year when before the semi-finals game against the Black Stars, in the African Nations Cup, they thought the Ghanaians were looking past them (the Zambians) and talking about the final game between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. We all know what happened in that game.

They also know that they have been complacent after winning the African Nations Cup last year. One Zambian friend mentioned this to me adding that the honeymoon was over. In fact, Zambia never thought she would find herself in this situation. All Zambia had to do was to win their last but one game in this series against Lesotho and the game against Ghana in September would have had a different complexion. They managed a poor 1-1 draw in Maseru. No wonder when Lesotho was playing Botswana in the group stages of the COSAFA Cup, they supported Botswana and booed Lesotho most of the game, except when Lesotho came from behind in the late seconds to secure a 3-3 draw in a thrilling finish. I enjoyed every bit of that game sitting with my Zambian nephews and my two sons who were with me at the Arthur Davies stadium, also in Kitwe, as the Zambians expressed their frustration with the Lesotho national team’s ability to stifle attacks by their opponents. Lesotho had done just that against them a few weeks earlier. That memory was still raw.

It was difficult to assess the Zambian national football team from the games they played in the COSAFA Cup, the reason being that the said tournament featured only locally based players. None of their well-known players took part. (Zambia eventually won the COSAFA Cup, beating Zimbabwe 2-0 in the finals at the 44,000 capacity Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola). Throughout the COSAFA tournament, their style of play was the same however; very solid in defense, stylish mid-field and explosive on the break. Zambians are noted for their profligate behavior in front of goal – they waste scoring chances more than any team I have seen. That was their undoing against Lesotho. They are not a massive goal scoring team but very difficult to break down defensively. The Chipolopolo execute set-pieces better and have two very reliable goal-keepers. I am sure the Black Stars coaches know this team better than I will ever know since I was using only my “tourist/visitor’s eyes”.

I cannot end this piece without mentioning also that the Zambians are as suspicious as they are superstitious. My brother-in-law, an avid football follower, could not fail to note that the Kumasi game would be played on a Friday. According to my brother-in-law, Zambia at both national and club levels, had never won any international game played on a Friday. He was wondering whether Ghana knew this and had deliberately scheduled the game to be played on a Friday. Even after informing him of the official reason – to make room for a subsequent friendly match against Japan, he was unconvinced. He sounded defeated but still exhibited outwardly the same confidence of winning in Kumasi.

Score one for Ghana, for getting under the skins of my in-laws. I could not hide my delight seeing Zambians anxious about their chances in Kumasi. They should be. Their away record is not great. They drew 1-1 again against Botswana last weekend away. I am confident Ghana is going to Brazil come 2014. A word of caution here will be in order: In sports, on any given day, anything at all can happen. On paper Ghana is and should be favorites. Complacency kills, literally. The Zambians are coming and they are very, very confident, my warning is that they should in no way be underestimated. We did that once last year and it did not end well for us.

National pride is at stage, their country is on the upswing and they think the only way for them is up. We should be careful not to fall victim to the Chipolopolo.

Go Black Stars!!!!

Tetteh-Nartey, Enoch

Monroe, New York (tetteywa@aol.com)